Forgiven Heart
by Cathartic Trance
Summary: SEQUEL TO: The Fortune 5 years have passed and Izumi still loves Kouji. She decides to find him and goes to Miami. But what she will find out will hurt her even more. RR, No Flames
1. Departure

Forgiven Heart

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 1: Departure

Izumi had brought all of her boxes, furniture and luggage into her new apartment, which was really a penthouse. She hooked up her laptop and began to search for information on Kouji. She typed furiously as she stared determinedly at the screen. She found a celebrity magazine site that had a few pictures and information snippets of Kouji Minamoto. She read the information and examined each picture carefully.

She had found all the information that she already knew. "Come on... I just want to know where he lives!!!" Izumi cried out in frustration. Suddenly, she stopped scrolling through the information. Her eyes were wide and a triumphant smile curled onto her ivory face. "I've got you!" she exclaimed with pure triumph. She had found an article about Kouji's living quarters.

She read the article with a huge grin, but she saw a very disturbing thing... he lived in America. She'd have to fly all the way to the USA in search for her ex-boyfriend. "Great. I'm flying to Miami for who knows how much money. Oh well, I'm lucky to have a decent fortune." Izumi muttered. It was true that she had a decent fortune, but her fortune was far from _just_ being decent. In fact, she was filthy rich, although she didn't spend much of her money on things such as tickets.

She closed her laptop and went to bed. She would book her tickets for Miami tomorrow and depart for the hot city at whatever time was the soonest.

The next morning, Izumi woke up to the sound of her annoying alarm clock. It was 5:00 AM, which wasn't unusual for the hard-working woman. She turned on her laptop and booked her tickets. She was to leave the next day.

Izumi must wake up earlier than she ever had before... 3:30 AM. She had packed the night before and only ad to freshen up. She took a shower, ate her breakfast and loaded her silver Corolla with her luggage. She took her keys and jammed them into the ignition while yawning heavily. She would have a very long nap during the flight to Miami.

She drove to a friend's house to leave her car there, in her good friend's care. She was driven to the airport and left there for 15 minutes until the flight for Miami was announced.

When she boarded the plain, she smiled gleefully. She was one step closer to rekindling her relationship with the man she longed for.

AN: Okay, my chapters are becoming shorter and shorter. This one was probably rushed... sorry to say. But Izumi is only starting her journey, and the journey will probably take a lot of time.


	2. Welcome to Miami

Forgiven Heart

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 2: Welcome to Miami

Izumi slept through the whole flight. She was obviously exhausted from the early wake up. When landing was approaching, the stewardess checked that everyone was getting ready. She passed Izumi and shook her head. "Miss, wake up. We're approaching the airport." The stewardess said while gently shaking Izumi. "Just let me sleep for a couple more minutes, ma." Izumi muttered. The stewardess shook her head with the clearest disapproval. She shook Izumi harder. "MISS, WE ARE LANDING IN A FEW MINUTES!!!" she practically yelled. Izumi bolted to a perfect posture. "What the hell am I doing in a plane!?!?" Izumi cried out stupidly. "You are going to Miami, Miss." The stewardess explained with uttermost annoyance. The information clicked Izumi's head and she remembered. "Oh yeah... sorry, ma'am." Izumi apologized while blushing with embarrassment.

The plane soon landed and everyone exited the plane. Izumi rushed off and quickly went to the baggage belt. She waited for about 15 minutes when she finally began to fume. "What's taking my luggage so long to get on this stupid belt!?!?" Izumi yelled out hysterically. She was still very cranky and tired. A few people stared at her with weird expressions. Izumi saw this and cried out, "DON'T LOOK AT ME IN THAT TONE OF VOICE!!!" It looked pretty obvious that she wasn't herself.

When Izumi had finally fully woken up and retrieved her baggage, she got on the bus to the car rentals. She chose a silver Porsche GT and went on her way. There was an information kiosk just a few miles away, so Izumi drove in that direction.

Izumi purchased a map of Miami. According to the information she received from her trusty laptop, she should find Kouji's house on a sturdy cliff by the beach. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

Wrong. House owners with enough money purchased many homes on beach cliffs. 'Just my luck...' Izumi thought. The sun was getting in her eyes, so she put on her flashy dark purple tinted sunglasses. They were very expensive and probably the best style there was.

The car was very quiet, so Izumi turned on the radio. She chose a rock station a nodded her head to the beat. When the song finished, the DJ began to play a song by Metal Abyss... the band Kouji played for. Izumi listened to the song and liked it a lot. She quickly learned the chorus and quietly sung it to herself.

When Izumi gave up on trying to guess which beachside cliff she should look on, she consulted her laptop. There were millions of Kouji Minamoto pictures on the internet and only a few of his house. After a few minutes of typing vigorously and searching desperately, she found the picture and address she needed. Kouji lived at house 253. There was no street name.

Izumi used the signs that she saw to find his house. "How far must I go to find 253!?!?" Izumi cried. Suddenly, she barely saw the sign that would lead her to Kouji's home. She almost missed the turn, but since she was such an awesome driver, she made a perfect sharp turn and made it just in time.

There was only one house on that cliff. It was a very large, but not the size of a mansion. There were gates, though. The initials KM were engraved on a marble block just outside of the gate. This must be Kouji's house. She rang the buzzer. There was silence for a moment, when suddenly a very familiar voice answered. "Who's there?" the man on the other line rudely asked. 'Typical...' Izumi thought. "It's Izumi Orimoto." She spoke into the intercom. There was an awkward pause. Izumi heard a buzz and the gates opened.

AN: Well, at least this chapter was longer. I hope you liked it. And thanks to all of my reviewers from The Fortune and this story, as well. I'd like a minimum of 4 reviews for each chapter, though... just to encourage me.


	3. After All These Years

Forgiven Heart

Written By: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 3: After All These Years

Izumi quickly fixed her blouse and pants and then walked up the path to Kouji's manor. It was a really expensive-looking piece of property. Izumi came up to the porch to be greeted by Kouji's ice cold blue eyes. She heard that he wasn't as outgoing after their break-up in college, so that familiar glint of loneliness was back in his eyes.

"What are you doing in Miami?" Kouji asked, not bothering to even say hello. Izumi thought for a moment. "Well... um... I just came to see you." She said as she tried not to sound flirtatious or something. Kouji nodded and stepped aside. Izumi just stood there, probably dreaming of something. "Well, are you coming in?" Kouji impatiently asked. Izumi snapped out of her thoughts and entered Kouji's house.

There was nothing too special about his abode. It looked like a typical Kouji setting with its dark colors. "Come with me." Kouji ordered. Izumi followed him to a small room. There were a few chairs and a low coffee table. The chairs were cushioned but casual and the coffee table was simple. An expensive radio set stood by the wall and a pile of CDs were stacked beside it. "Go sit while I get us a drink. What do you want?" Kouji asked. "Some Ginger Ale would be nice. I'm not into coffee... bad for the stress, as I'm told." Izumi said. Kouji turned on his heel and rushed to the kitchen. While he did that, Izumi examined the furniture and CDs while being careful not to touch anything that Kouji wouldn't want her to.

Kouji was in the kitchen pouring drinks. He got two glasses and two cans of Ginger Ale. While he did this, he was talking to himself. "What is she doing here? I thought she never wanted to see my face again." Kouji murmured. He shrugged and brought the fresh drinks back to the living room.

When he arrived back in the living room, Izumi was sitting in a bored position. Kouji took a chair beside Izumi and handed her drink to her. "What is the real reason that you come all the way to Miami?" Kouji asked. Izumi sighed and went silent for a while. "I wanted to come and apologize for what I did to you 5 years ago." She finally said. Kouji smiled... something that he rarely did nowadays. "There's no need to apologize, Izumi-chan." He said. Izumi was surprised when Kouji called her 'Izumi-chan'. "But I broke both of our hearts." Izumi protested with tears almost coming to her eyes. Kouji lightly embraced her. "Please don't cry. Let's just talk about our most recent lives and forget about the past." Kouji said comfortingly; all of the coldness was gone from his tone. Izumi smiled.

For the rest of the day, Izumi and Kouji had nice conversations and talks about their lives. "What happened to Amaya and Kouichi?" Izumi asked Kouji at some point. "Amaya became a famous singer, as well. Kouichi is our manager." Kouji explained. Izumi nodded.

This went on until night. Izumi finally noticed the time and decided that she should leave soon. "Well, it was nice catching up with you. But I gotta go, it's late." Izumi said while getting up. Kouji furiously tried to find a reason to make her stay. And suddenly, an idea came. "Izumi, it's dangerous in Miami after dark." Kouji slyly stated as Izumi turned around. She raised one of her eyebrows and asked, "What are you suggesting?" She turned around to see a cunning smile on Kouji's handsome face. She remembered all those times that his smile made her want to kiss him so badly. "I want you to stay for the night." Kouji smirked. Izumi raised her eyebrows at this. "Which room, should I sleep in?" she asked suspiciously.

Well, her suspicion was incorrect, because Kouji made her sleep in the room next to his. Izumi was slightly disappointed, but hid it very well. Kouji helped her get her bags inside the house. "Good night, Izumi-chan." Kouji said. "Good night, Kouji-kun." Izumi said. Kouji grinned when she said that. When Izumi entered her room, Kouji began to feel a pang of sadness. What would happen if he told her...?

AN: There's a lot to find out in the story, so please keep on reviewing and reading. After this story, there are two more until the series is finished. This will be the greatest project that I've ever had.


	4. Incident at the Mall

Forgiven Heart

Written By: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 4: Incident at the Mall

Izumi couldn't go to sleep for a long time that night. She was so happy to see Kouji again and was even happier to see that his ring finger had no wedding ring on it. She never actually asked about his marital status and wasn't planning to.

As for Kouji, he couldn't go to sleep either. He had mixed emotions and was afraid to hurt Izumi. 'How could I ever tell her?' Kouji thought. He was feeling guilty... although he never actually felt innocent either. He sighed and turned to face the window. 'Why must I be so torn?' he thought pettily.

The next morning, Izumi woke up late for the first time in a long time. Her eyes fluttered open to meet a pair of dark blue ones. "Good morning, Izumi-chan." The owner of those beautiful eyes said. "Good morning, Kouji-kun." Izumi smiled. She felt like she was truly home. "I've already made breakfast, so come downstairs to the kitchen." Kouji said. Izumi was startled. "Wow, Kouji. I never knew you could cook!" she said teasingly. "Amaya taught me." Kouji replied. When Izumi heard Amaya's name, a thought clicked. "Where does Amaya live?" she asked. "She lives in a penthouse. It's at one of the beachfront hotels. I'll give you a picture." Kouji said as he exited the room. Izumi nodded and got out to bed.

Kouji had set up a table on the balcony. There was a nice ocean breeze while he and Izumi ate. "This is probably the best French toast that I've ever tasted!" Izumi cried. "Nah, you should taste Amaya's. They're awesome." He said. "Speaking of Amaya, here's the picture." He handed her a photo of the hotel. It looked pretty fancy. Izumi thanked Kouji and finished her French toast.

After eating their breakfast, Izumi helped Kouji tidy up the kitchen. "Well, thanks for your hospitality!" Izumi smiled brightly. Kouji smiled and nodded. "Will I see you again?" he asked hopefully. "It all depends..." Izumi laughed and hauled her luggage into the car's spacious trunk. "Bye, Kouji-kun!" she called out as she pulled out of the driveway. Kouji waved and waited for her to turn the corner before reentering his house.

Izumi had better luck finding the hotel Amaya was living at than finding Kouji's Cliffside house. She confirmed with the hostess that Amaya Minamoto was staying at the topmost room. Izumi thanked the very friendly hostess and entered the elevator. She looked at all the buttons. According to the elevator, there were 30 stories. Izumi was impressed that Amaya could live in an apartment so high. She pressed the 30th button and waited patiently for the elevator to reach her destination.

It took a while for Izumi to reach floor 30, especially since the elevator kept stopping to pick up more passengers. When the elevator stopped at floor 30, Izumi was really relieved to be freed from that compact area. She stepped outside the classy elevator and entered a short hall. The hall had nothing but one oak door. The room number shone with gold. Izumi walked down the hall towards the door. She rang the buzzer, which was much like Kouji's intercom. She waited for a while when she got impatient and turned on her heel towards the elevator.

Suddenly, a female voice answered the buzz through the intercom. "Hello?" the voice said. Izumi rushed back to the intercom. She held the white button as she spoke into it. "It's Izumi Orimoto. Hopefully you remember me." She said. The oak door swung open really fast. "Izumi! Oh my God, I thought that I would never see you again!" a woman cried. The woman was Amaya. She had the same old raven hair, except for the fact that there were blue streaks in it. She wore her hair in a bun held with chopsticks. She had a black tank top with the words 'He's with you because he hasn't met me'. She wore ¾ cut beige pants that had a lot of rings on it. "Wow, Amaya! You've really matured since I last saw you!" Izumi said with a tone that said, "I'm really impressed." Amaya giggled and let Izumi in.

For a while, Izumi and Amaya had a small conversation with each other. They began to get bored of just talking, so they decided to go to the mall.

They took Izumi's rented Porsche. The mall wasn't really packed that day, compared to every other day. Miami Mall was Amaya's favorite mall in the whole city. It had practically everything that you'd need from clothing and accessories to pet shops! Izumi and Maya were having a wonderful time shopping until Izumi saw her worst nightmares come true.

Izumi stopped dead in her tracks, causing Amaya to worry. "What's wrong, Izumi?" Amaya asked concerned. Izumi's eyes began to water as her bottom lip quivered. She pointed in the direction of source of her troubles. Amaya followed the direction that Izumi's trembling finger pointed at. When Amaya saw what it was that was bothering Izumi, she heard petty sobs. She turned around to see Izumi crying. Izumi began to run, totally forgetting about the bags she dropped when she stopped walking. "Izumi, wait!" Amaya cried. She grabbed Izumi's forgotten bags and ran in the direction Izumi was running. Since Amaya was a way faster runner than Izumi, she caught up to her sobbing friend in no time.

"Its okay, Izumi." Amaya said comfortingly. "No it isn't!!!" Izumi cried between sobs. They were in the girl's washroom. Izumi washed her tearstained face in the sink. Her tears had messed up her makeup, so she had to reapply the cosmetics, but she decided to wait after she finished her crying. While Izumi washed her face, Amaya sat on the counter beside Izumi's sink. "Why must fate be so cruel? Why does this have to happen to me?" Izumi cried out dramatically. "Have I done something wrong in one of my past lives to deserve this?" she said. "Izumi calm down! It isn't the end of the world!" Amaya yelled. "Oh yeah? Well, it should be!!!" Izumi said, her voice trembling. She had stopped crying by now and was applying makeup again.

Suddenly, the washroom door swung open and a woman entered. Izumi turned her head to see who entered. Her eyes widened and she was on the verge of exploding. "YOU!!!" was all Izumi could say and she pointed a slender finger at the woman.

AN: So, how did you like this chapter? Tell me what you think is going to happen when you review! And thanks to all my encouraging reviewers!


	5. Do You Love Her?

Forgiven Heart

Written By: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 5: Do You Love Her?

Izumi pointed a slender finger at the woman. "YOU!!!" was all she could say.

The woman was severely shocked. She jumped back a bit while her eyes widened. "Excuse me, do I know you?" she asked. Izumi was filling with rage and was about to make a huge scene, but Amaya luckily stepped in. "No, you do not! My friend is just having mood swings... you know how it is when you have your monthlies... you become a bit out of character." Amaya explained as she stupidly grinned. The woman just looked at them weirdly and walked into a washroom cubicle.

Amaya held Izumi's mouth held tightly shut and dragged her outside. "What are you trying to do? Create a huge scene and possibly make a lawsuit?" Amaya whispered harshly. "SHE'S THE ONE!!!" Izumi yelled out. A few people that passed them gave them a look that clearly said "You're weird." Izumi was about to say "DON'T LOOK AT ME IN THAT TONE OF VOICE!!!" but Amaya quickly covered her mouth.

The two women never notice Kouji standing by the wall and when he heard Izumi yell, his head shot upwards and in the direction of the crazy blonde. He walked up to them and asked what was wrong.

"WHAT IS WRONG? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG! YOU AND THAT WOMAN IS WHAT'S WRONG!!!" Izumi cried. Kouji was taken aback and lowered his head. He felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, Izumi. I wanted to tell you but was afraid that you'd get hurt." Kouji explained. Izumi felt tears come to her eyes. She calmed down a bit and most of her anger was replaced with sorrow and self pity. "But why? Why couldn't you have just told me, so that I wouldn't be affected like this?" she asked with tearing rolling down her creamy white cheeks. "I already told you, Izumi-chan..." Kouji said. "NO! Don't call me that! I'm not your Izumi-chan!" Izumi cried as the tears came harder. "Hasn't it ever occurred to you that I might still have feeling for you?" she asked. Kouji murmured her name and held her shoulder, but Izumi shook it away. "Don't touch me..." she muttered as she wiped away the tears, just to be replaced with even more. "Let's go..." Izumi told Amaya. Amaya nodded and waited for Izumi to face the other way before mouthing to Kouji "I'll call you." Kouji nodded. He almost had tears in his eyes as well, but fought them well.

Amaya and Izumi went back to Amaya's place after Izumi bought a pair of very dark tinted sunglasses, to hide the redness of her eyes. "Why must I be so stupid to believe that Kouji couldn't have found another woman?" Izumi asked quietly between choking sobs. Amaya embraced her friend. "It's just how life is. You know that he couldn't stay single for long. Look, he's getting married in a week, you can't cry over him for long." Amaya said. "I know, but it's just that I still love him." Izumi murmured after wiping away the last remaining tears. Amaya just hugged her friend tighter and let her rest. "Don't worry. This will all end up fine, in the end." She said reassuringly. "I hope your right..." Izumi said sadly.

The next day, Izumi visited Kouji. She apologized for the scene at the mall and asked if he could have lunch with her. He accepted. Izumi gave him a weak smile and drove to Amaya's penthouse, which she shared for the time being.

When Izumi was picked up by Kouji, she was in a casual, yet elegant blouse with a pair of black pants. They ate lunch together without a trace of that woman Kouji was with. "Kouji, do you love her?" Izumi asked. Kouji nodded with a hint of guilt in his deep blue eyes. "Do you feel happier when you're with her and does she make you feel like you're madly in love?" Izumi asked. Kouji thought about it for a moment. Sure, he was happy with his fiancé, but he never smiled as much when he was Izumi. He shook his head. "I haven't felt that way for anyone since college." He said. Izumi nodded, but wasn't sure if he meant it was her that made him feel that way or if he meant Carla. She never knew if Kouji hated Carla, or loved her because she ignored him and stayed as far as possible from him during that time.

For the next few days, Izumi and Kouji interacted with each other as friends. They'd have casual lunches together and talk with each other on the phone. During that time, Kouji began to have stronger feelings for Izumi as she did as well. Izumi had befriended Kouji's fiancé, too.

One day, Izumi and Kouji went for a night walk. They found a park with only a set of swings and hung out there. They talked for a while and laughed together. "You know, Kouji, I think I still love you..." Izumi whispered. "Me too..." Kouji said, barely audible. There was an awkward pause. Kouji got up from his swing and began to gently push Izumi's. Izumi turned stood up and turned around to face him. Their faces were so close and their lips almost met, but Izumi stopped them. "No, this is wrong. You're getting married in just a few days. You can't be in love with me." Izumi said as she fought a few rebellious tears. Amaya's penthouse was just a few blocks away, so she bid Kouji goodbye and began to walk away. "Will you be at the ceremony?" Kouji asked. "Yes, I will." Izumi replied and she continued to walk towards the penthouse.

AN: So, how did you like it? I really hope it was okay since it was fairly long. Anyway, I'm sorry to CrAzY-SiLLy-Me and other great authors for not reviewing! My stupid PC won't let me access the pop-up window, so I'll have to figure that out.


	6. Preparing for the Day

Forgiven Heart

Written By: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 6: Preparing for the Day

Izumi had come "home" with a solemn expression. Amaya asked her what had happened, but Izumi insisted that nothing was out of the ordinary. Amaya wasn't completely convinced, but figured out that her friend wanted to be alone.

Izumi woke up the next day with a heavy heart. She had until tomorrow when Kouji would get married and she'd go back to Japan. She vowed to never return to Florida after the wedding.

"Izumi, we need to go shopping for a glamorous suit!" Amaya called out from her kitchen with a very cheery voice. Izumi smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and got out of bed. She took a shower and freshened up. When she arrived at the kitchen, Amaya already had French toast prepared. Izumi sat in a beige cushioned chair and began to cut her French toast.

"Kouji told me that you make the best French toast that he's ever tasted." Izumi stated. Amaya chuckled and took a bite out of the golden toast. "He always says that, even if he's already said it to you before." She said. Izumi smiled weakly, but the thought of Kouji brought a lump to her throat. Tears began to brim her eyes, but she blinked them away. Amaya noticed this and realized why Izumi was sad. 'Thinking of my brother must hurt her...' Amaya thought sadly.

When they finished their French toast and tidied up the kitchen, they went shopping for a nice formal suit. Izumi wanted to where something black, but Amaya refused to let her buy something so mournful. "You must look beautiful, not dreary!" Amaya stated. Izumi smiled and nodded. She chose a lavender dress with an elegant intricate design. Amaya chose a classy blouse and pants.

The two women had finished shopping and emerged from the store with a couple of full bags. Izumi's mood was a little brighter, but barely. Her slight happiness was dimmed when they passed a wedding gown store. She saw Kouji's fiancée in the shop trying on various dresses. Izumi felt those tears come to her eyes again, but she was stronger now and she refused to cry. "Izumi, what are you doing?" Amaya asked. She was a few strides ahead of Izumi and just realized that her friend wasn't with her, but standing by the wedding store. "Izumi, please stop dwelling on this. Just accept what is to happen." Amaya reasoned. Izumi blinked away a few more tears and tried to smile, but her pink lips refused to smile. Instead, a sad frown was placed there. "I'm okay let's just go back to the hotel." Izumi said shakily. Amaya had a look of concern in her eyes, but let her friend be as they walked back to the penthouse.

During that time, Kouji was choosing a tuxedo. Even though almost every tuxedo looked that same, his father had made it clear that he must choose the finest tuxedo. That was the first time in years that he ever asked his father for advice. He looked in the mirror and sighed. He was torn between two women. How could this happen to him? That was the question he asked himself. He knew his fiancée was catching on to his secret. She had seemed distant to him over the past couple of days. He rarely even saw her until the morning. He had a sneaking suspicion of what she had been doing at night...

The next day, Izumi and Amaya had been applying makeup and doing their hair in the bathroom for quite a long time. They had troubles deciding which hairstyle they should use, but finally came up with them. Izumi had created large curls in her hair to make it look elegant while Amaya put her hair up in a high ponytail. She left a few strands of blue hair let loose, so it looked better.

When they finished getting prepared for the wedding, they appeared very glamorous. Izumi had applied her cosmetics expertly and had the exact right amount applied to each part of her creamy white face. Amaya had done the same as well. They drove to the ceremony, which was held at the edge of Kouji's Cliffside property.

AN: I know it's kind of short, but I want the wedding to be in the next chapter. I'll try to give you a treat and put up the seventh chapter up at the same night as this chapter. Ja ne!


	7. Wedding

Forgiven Heart

Written by: Fujiwara Zakuro

Chapter 7: Wedding

When they arrived there, Izumi gave a pathetic excuse to go up to Kouji's room. She mounted the parquet stairs as she nervously held on to the banister. She knocked on Kouji's door, just barely passing the bride's room without getting caught. "Come in." Kouji called through the other side of the door. Izumi turned the knob and jumped into the room. She quickly shut the door.

"Izumi, what are you doing here?" Kouji asked. "I told you that I'd be at the ceremony." Izumi barely smiled. Kouji nodded. "I hope you the best of luck in your coming marriage." Izumi said. Kouji smiled and said, "Thank you." Izumi began to feeling a tear roll down her cheek. "I only have to say that... if you were going to have a marriage before meeting Mia, then it would be with me." Izumi choked on these words. Kouji was taken aback. "Izumi, please don't cry." He begged her. Izumi smiled sadly. "No, no I'm fine. I just want you to be happy." Izumi insisted. "Izumi..." Kouji began. "I love you, Kouji-kun. You're my best friend." Izumi said as she felt more tears come. She gave Kouji a kiss on the cheek and left the room, leaving Kouji standing there with a sorrowful expression.

Izumi had washed her face and stopped crying. She wore the dark-tinted sunglasses that she had bought the day before to hide her red eyes. Amaya asked why she was wearing them. "The sun is too bright for my sensitive eyes." Izumi lied. Amaya nodded her head but disapproved of the pathetic lie. Besides, Amaya knew Izumi didn't have sensitive eyes and could withstand light brighter than the sun's state at the moment.

They sat in the white chairs on the groom's side as many other relatives and friends of Kouji and Mia (Kouji's fiancée). The reverend was already at the altar and was flipping the pages of the bible impatiently. The ceremony was supposed to begin a few minutes before, but the bride was taking too long. Kouji was already marching towards the altar and waited for Mia.

A couple more minutes passed and a lot of chattering was going on between the visitors. When they caught eye of the bride and bridesmaids, they abruptly silenced. The bridesmaids walked down the outdoor aisle until they were all standing on or by the altar. Kouichi, who was Kouji's best man, nudged Kouji to pay attention. Kouji was trying to focus, but the incident in his room kept on replaying in his head.

When the bride finally got to the altar, the reverend began to give the speeches and blessings. Izumi waited with impatience to leave. Many people in the crowd were crying dramatically. Izumi looked at them and snorted. 'If they're crying now, they haven't been through what I've experienced.' She thought.

The 'I do's' were coming and Izumi suddenly began to feel the tears come back. She vowed herself not to cry, but just couldn't stop. As the reverend began to say the part of the 'I do's', Izumi cried silently. Amaya gave her a side glance and gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. Izumi tried to smile, but she was too full of sorrow to do so.

"Do you, Mia, take this man to be your husband?" the reverend asked. "I do." Mia said with a huge grin on her face. "And do you, Kouji, take this woman to be your wife?" he asked again.

Kouji had a look of indecisiveness. He was confused and was being pulled between two hearts. Sure, he loved Mia, but he still loved Izumi. The audience was practically holding their breaths. After a while of serious thinking, he finally came up with a decision. "No, I don't." he finally said. Everyone gasped, even the reverend and Izumi. But for some reason, Mia was not shocked at all. In fact, she was smiling.

"I'm sorry to say, but I'm in love with another woman." Kouji confessed. "I knew it!" Mia cried out. Everyone looked at her with a weird expression. "I've found another man, too." She confessed. This was just too much. A few old women fainted of shock and few other people were crying. "Izumi Orimoto, please come to my side." Kouji called out. Izumi was taken aback. She wiped away her tears and stood up. She walked up to the altar and stood by Kouji. "See? This is the woman I'm truly in love with!" Kouji announced. Kouichi and Amaya smiled. They knew that Kouji would choose the right woman. They both knew the truth about Mia's cheating, but Kouji refused to believe them, and so they gave up before Izumi came to Miami.

"Izumi, I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that you're the only one for me." Kouji said. "It's okay..." Izumi smiled. "I want to see your beautiful emerald eyes." Kouji said as he took off Izumi's sunglasses. Her eyes were no longer red, but a few tears still brimmed her eyes. Kouji smiled and brought his face to hers. Their lips met and they shared a gentle kiss. "I love you, and nothing can ever change that." Izumi whispered onto Kouji's lips. Kouji grinned. "Izumi, will you marry me?" he asked. Izumi chuckled. "Of course I will!" she cried. This time, she cried tears of joy.

AN: So, how do you like the end? I know, the story was short and there won't be an epilogue. There will be two more sequels, though. So just wait patiently. Plus, I gave you a treat! Two chapters in one night!


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